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recipe
THINK taste Forino combines the oriental flavor of kumquat with an Easter classic of Naples’ tradition
I grew up with a five-foot-tall kumquat plant in my garden, that produced about 25 kg of fruits. These, however, were not collected, because the plant was considered ornamental. Sometimes as a teenager I have tasted sour fruits, but nothing more. Only years later did I realize that I had an incredible resource in the garden! One day, while I was working, my mother called me and asked: “Can’t you do something with all these kumquats I have in the garden?”. So I decided to transform them into a jam and after a few tests I obtained an interesting recipe, thanks to the aromatic complexity and fleshiness of the fruits. I put it up for sale in my shop and it was soon sold out! Then I began to imagine the inclusion of kumquats in a product range and the approaching Easter was the perfect opportunity. So I replaced oranges and offered a revisited Neapolitan pastiera and a special Easter colomba, which was flavoured with Earl Grey tea and candied kumquat. Customers were very impressed by kumquats used as flavour enhancers, which didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients, and it was another great success! I am very fond of the following recipe. I launched the Oriental Pastiera in 2015 at Easter and it proved to be one of my most popular new entries at that time. It was intended as a modern version of the Neapolitan classic. The shortcrust pastry base with a dacquoise and the crémeux made
with orange flavoured cooked wheat and ricotta cheese include the fundamental elements of the traditional cake. A bavorois flavoured with Earl Grey tea is added and its taste is enriched by bergamot notes and tannins. Finally there is a layer of kumquat and tangerine jam, which refreshes, lightens and dilutes the underlying sweetness. Gian Luca Forino
Oriental Pastiera Almonds Shortcrust Pastry butter g 165 sugar g 110 ground almonds g 110 whole eggs g 45 vanilla bean n 1/4 salt g 1 flour g 250 Mix the butter and flour in a planetary mixer equipped with a flat beater. Add the rest of the powders and the eggs. Knead the ingredients to obtain the dough. Spread it on parchment paper and let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours. Roll it out to a thickness of 2.5 mm and cut it into 18 cm Ø discs. Bake them on Forosil mats. www.pasticceriainternazionale.com
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Almond Dacquoise egg whites g 220 sugar g 170 ground almonds g 170 powdered sugar g 90 flour g 45 Beat the egg whites with 1/3 of the sugar and add the remaining part a little at a time. Sift the flour with the powdered sugar and almonds. Once the egg whites are whipped, add the sifted powders, being careful not to separate the mass. Spread it in Ø16 cm rings using a pastry bag equipped with a tip size n 6. Bake at 200°C for 6 minutes.